Broken
by sktrgrl13
Summary: After Natsu is severely injured on a mission protecting Gray, the ice mage drowns himself in guilt and cuts off all ties to his family and friends; now it's up to Erza, Lucy and Lyon to band together or chance losing, not only the dragon slayer, but Gray as well.
1. Chapter 1 - To Be Broken

**Disclaimer: Mashima owns Fairy Tail yo!**

**Warnings: Yaoi, Language, Violence**

All the lights were shut off and the curtains were drawn over the windows. Not a single ray of light penetrated the prison he hid himself in and for that he could be grateful. Now he was where he was supposed to be; now he can be held accountable for what happened. He always knew that he was a danger to those around him, but now he's had enough. He has heard people pounding on his front door in random intervals, but he hasn't made any move to answer. He even ignored Erza, and that in itself was a fate worse than death. However, he knew that he could risk it; she and the other members of Fairy Tail were probably only looking for him because they felt like they were obligated to. After all, if someone else like Lucy were to make the same mistake he did, he would still look for her too; even if he was angry…

For the past three weeks, Gray Fullbuster has been sitting in the darkest corner of his house; his back pressed up against the wall and his legs pulled up to his chest. The only light in the room was the small red flare at the end of his cigarette; the soft smoke billowing around him like a curtain of mist. The only sound was the ominous and fragmented ticking of his broken clock… in a way, the broken clock comforted him; it made him feel like days were going by slowly instead of stealing all his time. The longer the days were, the shorter it seemed that _he_ had been asleep. He chewed on the end of his blunt cigarette before putting it out and pulling out a new one; he seemed to be going through more than usual these days. Hell, he hasn't smoked this much since Galuna Island…he knew that _he _would've kicked him in the side of the head if he knew about this, but the fact of the matter is that _he_ wouldn't know about it; _he_ wouldn't know about it and it was all because of him.

His heart panged deep in his chest as he struck the match; he couldn't help but admire the flame dancing across the tip. Such a small flame that was so warm, powerful and indestructible, but at the same time so vulnerable…just like _him_; he always thought that the damn idiot could get through anything and beat anyone. That is, he thought that _he_ could get through anything or anyone if it didn't include him and his cursed life. The raven knew from the start that _he_ would get hurt; after all, everyone who was tied to Gray Fullbuster ended up dying or getting hurt in the end. But of course the stubborn dumbass thought that he would be different, that he would beat the odds; now look where that has gotten him!

Gray pushed the palms of his hands onto his eyes in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the onslaught of tears that threatened to overwhelm him. He didn't deserve to cry and grieve; it was his fault that the damn idiot wasn't by his side. He should've known that he wouldn't have been able to handle it, especially after what happened with Doriarte. Yes, he was able to pull his shit together that one time, but he had to know that his luck would run out at some point. He guessed that he hoped that after what happened to Ultear that fate was done playing with him…of course he was completely wrong. Gray choked on a sob as he felt the warm liquid falling down his cold cheeks in rivulets; showing no sign that they were going to stop anytime soon.

He felt so useless!

He should've done something; he should've protected _him_, not the other way around. Maybe if he insisted enough, _he _would've done the right thing and left him behind. He should've made the fucking airhead run away and never look back; _he _knew about his curse and what happens to those who get close to him! But even as he thought this, some part of him knew that no matter what he said _he _wouldn't have left. No matter how many times he had insisted that he was damaged and wasn't worth the effort, _he_ would only respond with,

"_I've already figured that out."_

If that's true, why did _he_ continue to love him damnit! If _he_ knew that _he_ was destined to die simply by staying by his side, why did he do it?! Gray turned his body and slammed his fist into the wall, effectively breaking through the plaster. Blood flowed from the open cuts on his knuckles, but he did nothing to stop it. Instead, got to his feet and punched the wall again and again; the plaster crumbling to the ground like the pieces of his rapidly breaking heart. His chest heaved with each constricting breath, but he couldn't stop, no, he wouldn't stop. Everything ached and everything burned; he just wanted it to STOP.

He raised his torn and bloody hands to summon his ice magic, prepared to end everything once and for all, when armoured fingers wrapped gently around his more than likely broken appendages. His pain filled gaze travelled from the armoured hand, up the armoured arms and across a pale face until he was staring into dark purple tinted brown eyes. He could barely see them because they were shadowed by her flowing, red hair, but he knew they were there; he knew they were accusing him and blaming him for what he had done. Just like she had done in his dreams, just like everyone had done in his dreams; alive or dead. He wrenched his hands out of her grasp and stumbled back from her only to run into something else. He whipped around and came face to face with a blonde haired, brown eyed girl.

He jumped away from her and tripped over his own feet until his back slammed against the barely standing wall behind him. The chilled, cracked, plaster pressed against his flushed back as he stared at them defensively. He crossed his arms over his chest in nonchalance, slowly rebuilding those walls that _he_ had spent so many years trying to break down. His blue eyes briefly lingered on Erza and he had a feeling that she knew what he was doing as he stood there; they were practically siblings after all.

"What are you doing here?" He growled as his eyes shifted to gaze just above their heads.

"What are we…" The blonde sputtered, "What the hell do you mean by that?!"

The raven's hands tightened on his biceps protectively,

"I mean what the FUCK are you doing in my house?!"

Lucy stared at him with her mouth hanging open. Her fists were clenched at her sides and tears started to spill over her cheeks. Gray once again lowered his gaze; he was never able to handle girls crying and that wasn't going to change now…especially if he was the cause for the pain that she and everyone else were now feeling.

"You've been missing for weeks Gray; the entire guild is worried about you!" She screamed, "Is that such a bad thing?!"

He clenched his jaw and continued to stare resolutely away from his friends. They didn't understand the curse that he had to bear by living. As long as he continued to exist more and more people would continue to die; Fairy Tail would have to face the fear of losing their loved ones over and over again if he wasn't stopped…

"I see you've been smoking again." Erza stated monotonously.

The raven flinched, but still didn't move off the wall or lift his head. He needed to keep his defenses up and if he so much as looked at them, he knew that they would be gone. He has to keep them away; he didn't want to lose them too… losing _him_ was hard enough as it is. If he were to lose the rest of his family he didn't know what he would do. He loved each and every one of them and wouldn't be able to bear it if they got hurt; even _he_, who was considered to be one of the strongest, couldn't defeat the shitty hand that fate had dealt him.

"Gray," The red head whispered and placed a metal hand under his chin, "It wasn't your fault."

He couldn't stop his head from snapping up, his eyes meeting the gaze of the requip mage quickly. He could see sympathy in her gaze, but he could also see pain; he had hurt them so much, why did they put themselves through this by looking for him. He wanted to believe what she was saying, but it was hard when the truth was right in front of his face.

"I wasn't strong enough…" He spat harshly; the tears gathering in his eyes once more, "How is it not my fault if I just wasn't strong enough to protect him."

He heard Lucy's celestial keys jingle as she walked towards him and stood beside Erza. He jumped as the blonde placed her hand on his cheek and gently caught his falling tears with the pad of her thumb. He hadn't even noticed that the drops of pure salt had slide through his slowly cracking walls; they were getting way to close… no one saw him like this but _him_ and even then _he _complained that he didn't show enough of his emotions. He slapped their hands away from his face and walked around their intruding figures and inquiring, hurt-filled gazes.

"Don't touch me!" He spat harshly; barely suppressing the overwhelming guilt that was welling up inside of him, "Just leave me alone!"

Erza growled in frustration before starting to approach him again,

"Stop with the bullshit Gray; we can see through you! We know you're hurting, so let us help you!"

The last restraint holding his emotions snapped like an overextended elastic and cold mist exploded from his body,

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

"THEN TELL US!" Lucy shouted from Erza's side, "STOP ACTING LIKE A STUBBORN JACKASS AND TELL US WHAT'S WRONG! WE'RE YOUR NAKAMA DAMNIT! IF NATSU…"

_Natsu…_

Just the sound of his name was enough to send him into a tailspin. Just with his name Gray was able to see that damn dragon slayer's smiling face in his mind's eye and he could imagine the pinkette's loud and enthusiastic voice echoing through the walls of his house. Just by hearing his name, Gray felt as if everything would be alright again, but he knew better… he knew of his fate.

"WELL GUESS WHAT LUCY, NATSU'S NOT HERE!" He roared, "AND IT'S MY FAULT!"

"Gray…" Erza's eyes widened sadly.

The raven clenched his fists at his sides as his magic continued to circulate around him. Everything just seemed to be collapsing around him; all the pain, all the suffering; it was just becoming too much for him to bear on his own. But he couldn't let them come too close; he couldn't let them passed his walls or else they would know everything…they would know that everything that day ten years ago was all his fault. He was tired of hurting others, he was tired of others dying for his sake. He was in so much pain, but there was no healing for him now; he was just too damaged to keep going anymore. He collapsed to his knees and clutched his head tightly as his forehead touched the cold floorboards in a deep bow.

"I'm…tired of having to dream about _their_ deaths over and over. I'm tired of living in a world where everyone I'm close to dies or disappears because of me. I just want the pain to stop…I just want it to stop." He hissed despairingly, "The only reason why I've held on this long is because of him…if he were to disappear too, I don't know what I'd do."

Gray could still feel them in his apartment, but everything was completely still. It was almost as if everyone had stopped breathing at that very moment. His body still shook with suppressed emotion and his words seemed to echo around them. He was about to look up at the, most likely disgusted, faces of his friends when he felt a very warm hand press down on his hair. The heat from the hand almost caused his heart to stop beating; the heat was so familiar and safe, but he didn't dare raise his head. He didn't want to look up and find out that it wasn't who he thought it was… he didn't want to take that chance…

"You ice bastard, if you're so tired, let other people carry the weight for you." A soothing voice chuckled, "And you call me an idiot."

The ice mage slowly lifted his head off the floor and his deep blue eyes widened in disbelief when he instantly found familiar amber flecked dark green eyes staring into his. With his heart pounding ferociously in his chest, he raised shaky hand and placed it on the tanned cheek before him. A broken sob erupted from his tight throat as an astounding heat immediately engulfed his fingertips in a loving embrace. His tears renewed as he collapsed into the form of his dragon slayer, clutching onto the back of his vest tightly; almost afraid that if he'd let go, Natsu would become a distant memory.

Gray buried his face into the side of Natsu's neck so that his pulse could be felt against his cheek. His curse hadn't killed him; his dragon slayer was still alive. He shuddered as Natsu carded his hand through his raven hair and he could feel his eyes slowly starting to drift closed; the smell of burning wood swallowing his slowly drifting senses. He faintly felt chapped lips pressing against his left temple, right over his scar, as darkness started to take him under. Natsu's voice was the last thing he heard,

"Everything is going to be alright Gray…everything is going to be alright."

As the last of his tears slid down his pale cheeks and his eyelids concealed the blue of his iris he muttered,

"I'm still holding on, barely, but I'll keep holding on to you."

TBC

**Ahoy there minna! You probably recognize this story and you very well should! It's the new and improved version of my fanfiction called "Broken" that I posted sometime in late October or November last year. I did honestly love this story, but I felt that it needed a few repairs; hopefully it's better than you remember! It is definitely longer than it used to be and this chapter flows a little better (hopefully) so I hope you enjoy it!**

**As for my fic "One Day, Everything Changed" I have major writer's block, but I'm trying to work my way through it. I also want to say that I've finally restarted "The Ice Coated Flame" and the characters seem to be less OOC, but I make no promises! Sorry for the inconvenience!**

**On the upside, I have finished my second year of university and you know what that means… SUMMER TIME AND MORE FREQUENT UPDATES…(or so I hope)! I'm going to encourage you guys to send me PMs if you feel like that I'm taking too long to update; it seriously gets my butt in gear if my fans are yelling at me to get a new update up… it helps me get motivated! :P Alright, enough with my rambling…I hope you enjoy the story and I'm waiting for your reviews! :)**

**-sktrgrl**

**PS. I'm thinking of setting up a FB account or something strictly for my fanfictions; let me know if you guys are interested! It would be used for prompts and such (Although I'm already bursting with new ideas lol)**

**PSS. This story was derived from the song "Broken" by Lifehouse!**

**PSSS. I want to thank Cake-Addict for making me all warm and fuzzy on the inside! I'm so happy that you like my work and that I inspire you; not only does that instill confidence in myself, but it also reminds me that I shouldn't keep my fans waiting! I also wanna thank Yugato and anyone else who has been with me since I posted my very first Fairy Tail fanfiction almost a year ago; you guys are awesome! XD**


	2. Chapter 2 - To Be Unrecognizable

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns Fairy Tail… **

**Warnings: Yaoi, Language, Angst**

Erza stared down at her exhausted comrade sadly; his pain filled words echoing through her head like a beating drum. Never in her years of knowing the young raven had he ever sounded as defeated as he did at that moment. The red haired Queen of the Fairies clenched her fingers into a fist at her side and tried to burn hole into the cold, hardwood floor. For him to visibly fall apart like that meant a lot; never in the time that she knew him had she seen him cry. She remembered Natsu mentioning that the first time that he had seen Gray cry was on Galuna Island; as far as she knew, he hadn't cried since then either. She knew that a lot happened and she knew that there was nothing Gray could do to prevent it from happening; she was there after all and she knew what Natsu and Gray were like.

She failed Natsu in any way she possibly could; she promised the pink haired dragon slayer that if anything happened to him, she would make sure that Gray wouldn't hurt himself. As soon as they decided to go on that mission, Natsu made her promise; he knew that Gray wouldn't be able to separate their adversary from that of the demon that haunted his dark past. She slowly lifted her gaze just in time to see the figure of Natsu Dragneel flicker in and out of focus before turning into the form of Mirajane Strauss. Her pale lips were drawn into a tight line, her bottom lip slightly quivering, as she ran her delicate fingers through the emotionally exhausted teen's soft raven locks.

Erza glanced over at Lucy to see that silver tears were making their way down her cheeks and her brown eyes were painful to look at. The red head wrapped her arm around the blonde's slightly shaking shoulders and let Lucy lean her head against her; in a sense, they both betrayed Gray and tricked him into believing that his lover was alright once more. That look of relief on his face when he saw 'Natsu' was enough to move them both to tears and irrevocably shatter their broken hearts into smaller pieces.

The fact was that no one knew if the dragon slayer was going to pull through or not. Even Wendy wasn't sure…she healed him as much as she possibly could, but he has yet to open his eyes. When Gray learned that Natsu still hadn't woken up, he was bound to be worse off than he already was. She knew that it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but they were running out of options; if they didn't get Gray help, something much worse could've happened to him. However, deep in her heart, she knew that they might have come far too late. As far as she was concerned they had lost the ice mage and there was nothing anyone could do about it; he was gone the moment the pink haired dragon slayer jumped in front of him with his arms spread wide…

"Erza…" Lucy choked, "Is he going to be okay?"

She was staring up at her with pleading eyes and the red head could feel Mira's eyes on her as well. For the first time in a long time she didn't have the answer; she had no idea what was going to happen next; there was no way of knowing. She shrugged her shoulders almost imperceptibly as she gazed at her slumbering comrade. A small whimper escaped the blonde's lips as she held onto the great Titania's arm for support. Erza rubbed small circles into her friend's forearm as a form of comfort; that was all she could do right now anyway. Her eyes never left the form of Gray as memories of their childhood seemed to envelope her vision. She could remember it like it happened only yesterday…

_Erza Scarlet had just joined Fairy Tail and she could already tell they were a bunch of weirdoes. How Grandpa Rob was in a place like this was surprising, but not at the same time; she could actually almost imagine him being here with her. The small girl sat in the farthest corner of the guild; a table that she could have all to herself. She was just starting to enjoy her sandwich when an arrogant, somewhat persistent voice came from beside her…_

"_Hey, what's up?"_

_Erza fought the urge to roll her eyes and continued eating. She had a pretty good idea who it was, but it's not like that mattered. She didn't want to get close to anyone anyways; she just ends up getting them hurt in the end. Sure this kid was annoying, but his life was important too…she didn't want the boy to end up like __**him**__. She almost jumped when her table was knocked over by a rogue foot that came out of nowhere, but she was able to suppress it; talk about a temperamental kid…_

"_Is there a problem?" She asked stoically without meeting his eyes._

"_You know this is a wizard's guild right? That stupid armour won't protect you here." He stated, annoyance lacing his tone._

_Erza finally looked over at him and wasn't surprised in the least to see him standing in his underwear. That brown haired girl didn't call him streaker for nothing, that's for sure._

"_Maybe not, but at least I have the common decency to wear something, that's more than I can say for you perv."_

_The guild erupted into laughter around them causing a dark look to spread across the raven haired boy's face. His body was shaking with barely contained anger and embarrassment…but it's not like it scared her. She's seen much worse after all._

"_What did you call me?!"_

_She continued to stare at him blandly before inwardly sighing,_

"_If you're smart you'll leave me alone."_

But he didn't do that, in fact he did exactly the opposite. He continued to bug her and beg her to fight him even if it meant getting his ass kicked. At the time, she didn't see him as nothing more than a nuisance and only put up with him hoping one day that he would finally get the message and leave her alone. Of course that never happened, but it evolved into something much more meaningful all because of one accidental encounter…

_The sun was setting over the clear river; the yellow pink hues of the sky mixing cohesively with the water to make a perfect picture. However, a certain red headed girl could not see that beauty, all she could see was pain and the little ripples her tear drops made when they splashed into the water. She sniffled softly as she thought of the friends that she left behind; she didn't want to leave them, but she didn't have a choice either…_

"_ALRIGHT ERZA BRING IT ON! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S GOING DOWN THIS TIME!"_

_Beyond her better judgment, her head turned at the loud voice to see none other than Gray Fullbuster running down the hill towards her. She sighed sadly once when the young mage stopped in front of her. He had this look on his face, his deep blue eyes regarding her with such surprise and sadness, but she didn't want him to get involved… it would just hurt too much…_

"_It's you again…" She quickly wiped her hand over her eye to remove the tears, "What is it with you, haven't you learned your lesson?"_

_The boy just stared at her silently, the same bug-eyed expression on his face,_

"_Alright…give me your best shot."_

_For some reason a light blush spread across his cheeks and he stuttered slightly when he spoke,_

"_Oh…well uh…"_

"_What's the matter? You're not chickening out are ya?" She asked stoically._

_Gray stayed silent once more and stared down at his feet. She was about to turn away from the streaker when his voice, although much quieter, resounded around the area once more,_

"_Tell me something…how come you're alone all the time?"_

_It was her turn to be surprised now… this boy never ceased to amaze her, but that was of course her little secret…_

"_I just prefer to be alone," She whispered, "'Cause I get nervous around other people."_

"_Oh yeah?" The raven demanded, "Well, you're alone now, so why are you crying?"_

_Erza flinched and her head snapped up to look at the younger boy standing in front of her. She watched as he walked over to her so that he was now beside her only to he him sit on the dusty ground and rested his hands on his knees when his legs crossed. For the first time in a long time, a soft smile spread across her face,_

"_So you're not going to fight me today?"_

_The boy's blush deepened as he rejected the question loudly,_

"_I can't fight a girl when she's crying!"_

_As the two of them sat beside the river and watched the sunset disappear over the horizon, Erza knew without a doubt that she finally had someone she could count on._

Erza blinked the memory away along with the tears that were gathering in her eyes. That was the Gray that she wanted to see; the strong, proud, honourable Gray who did everything for his friends. She knew that he would need help to get better and that it would be a long recovery, but she also knew that Natsu and Gray were strong enough to get through it.

"Mira, are Gajeel and Levy still waiting outside?"

The silver haired takeover mage nodded her head softly before calling out to their friends standing outside the door. The raven haired dragon slayer looked down at the much smaller and sicker raven and his red eyes saddened. Erza knew that even though Gray, Natsu and Gajeel fought constantly they were as close as brothers; for Gajeel to see his 'little brother' like this had to hurt him as much as it hurt Erza herself. Without a word, Mira moved aside and helped Gajeel lift Gray onto his back so that the smaller raven wouldn't fall off. Erza nodded in approval before heading to the front door. Before leaving, she stopped and put her hand Levy's shoulder,

"Thanks for helping Mira with the runes needed to pull that off; it means a lot."

The small blue haired girl nodded sadly before walking over to Lucy and wrapping a comforting arm around her as they followed the armoured mage, dragon slayer and takeover mage out the door. Erza hoped that when Gray woke up that he wouldn't explode, as of right now, she knows that she had better keep on hoping.

FTFTFTFT

When the group entered the hospital room Natsu was staying in, they tried not to look at the bed right away. Erza walked over to the bed that was parallel to Natsu's and pulled back the thin covers so that Gajeel would be able to manoeuver the sleeping ice mage under the blankets. As soon as they stepped out of the way, Porlyusica entered the room mumbling under her breath. The group stayed silent as the woman attached Gray to different machines and IVs; it was hard to watch. When Porlyusica finished, she crossed her arms and glared down at the mages in the room.

"Who in their right mind thought it was smart to leave this dumbass by himself?"

Erza, along with everyone else looked at the floor and refused to meet her eyes. They could still hear her mumbling about how idiotic they all were, including Gray and Natsu, and was threatening to go back to her house that was hidden deep in the woods. Erza glanced up at the woman after a moment and clenched her fists once more before speaking quietly,

"Is he going to be alright?"

The strawberry blonde woman stopped ranting and stared at Erza as if she had grown an extra head. Her red eyes scrutinized the group once more before she sighed and grabbed the clipboard that had magically appeared at the end of Gray's bed.

"Well nothing that you guys don't already know," She rolled her eyes, "Malnourishment, dehydration, sleep-deprivation, and an insurmountable amount of toxins in his blood and lungs from smoking as frequently as he did on his empty stomach. After a little rest, the idiot should be fine."

Lucy cleared her throat from somewhere behind Erza,

"Wh-What about Natsu?"

The red head finally turned her head to look over at her other fallen comrade. He was still covered in bandages; nearly from head to toe. Luckily he could breathe on his own, but they did have to listen to that monotonous beeping of the device that Porlyusica created. Lounging lightly on Natsu's stomach was Happy; a deep sadness radiating off him that didn't match his name. Now, Erza knew, that Happy was also upset that Gray was in the hospital. Happy wasn't as close to Gray as he was to Natsu, but when the two boys got together Happy got the same protectiveness over the raven that Natsu had.

"That idiot is still stable; he should wake up any day now…" Porlyusica shrugged, "If not, well, we'll get to that if we have to."

For the guild's sake, their sake, Happy's sake and Gray's sake, she hoped the dragon slayer woke up. She didn't want to try and imagine a guild without Natsu in it or for that matter without Natsu AND Gray in it. After what the raven said today it was obvious what would happen if Natsu never woke up again…

"Ms. Scarlet," Porlyusica raised an eyebrow, "I think it's time you called in reinforcements."

The red head gazed at the old woman curiously before the light bulb went off in her head,

"Okay team," Erza turned to the comrades standing beside her, "I think it's time we dropped by Lamia Scale for visit…who's in?"

TBC

**The revised version! I hope you enjoy it; waiting on your lovely reviews! :)**

**-sktrgrl**

**PS. Erza's memories are from Fairy Tail ep. 37 except her POV instead of handsome Gray's ;) and yes I used the DUB version so if you like SUB I apologize, I just own the DUB on my IPod so it was more convenient to get the dialogue…**


	3. Chapter 3 - To Be Shattered

**Disclaimer Mashima-dono owns this amazing series!**

**Warnings: Yaoi, Language, Violence**

Dark clouds danced across the sky as a clap of thunder erupted. Erza gazed up at the raging skyline and wasn't surprised to see that it was starting to rain. It's strange how when a mage who controls the elements can control nature when they are upset. She knew this from Juvia who was a classic example, but Erza knew that this was deeper than that. The sun had been absent from Magnolia as well as the towns surrounding it since Natsu had been injured. She couldn't even begin to guess how much magical power Gray was using because of his depression. What was happening now was almost as bad as when Juvia used to cry when Gray unintentionally ignored her affections.

"How much longer until we get to Lamia Scale?" Gajeel's rough voice broke through her thoughts.

The armoured mage turned to the iron dragon slayer,

"According to Master it should be around here somewhere."

The raven teen nodded his head silently and continued forward. Erza watched the dragon slayer with a soft smile on her face before following him. In all honesty, she was happy that Gajeel was the only one who came with her. Not only were Lucy and Mira needed to stay with Gray if he wakes up, but Gajeel was a mostly silent person. The silence he carried was somewhat similar to Gray's in the way that it was a companionable silence. There was no need for anyone to speak; they could just travel and get to where they were going. But after everything that's happened, Erza had to wonder what those silences meant for Gray.

"You never really told me why we were going to Lamia," Gajeel raised an eyebrow, "Is there a particular reason?"

The red head nodded imperceptibly before picking up her speed,

"Yeah, you remember the silver haired mage from Lamia Scale you saw at the Games?"

"You mean the other ice mage?" He asked stiffly, "I don't really trust that ass to be completely honest with you."

Erza couldn't help but laugh at the raven haired mage,

"That's only because he has a thing for Juvia and you're her overprotective big brother."

The dragon slayer folded his arms across his chest and mumbled under his breath. Erza smirked at his reaction and it quickly turned into a smile when she saw a guild hall looming in the distance. Even from where she was standing she could see the Lamia Scale insignia emblazoned on the front of the guild.

"But that's beside the point," She continued, "Lyon trained alongside Gray when they were under the tutelage of Ur Milkovich."

The oldest dragon slayer's red eyes widened slightly,

"The ice mage that had the potential to be considered as one of the ten wizard saints?"

Erza's smile dimmed when she thought of the pain and guilt Gray carried,

"Yes; Lyon is practically Gray's older brother and if anyone can help him, Lyon can."

FTFTFTFT

Lyon slumped over his table in the guild with an exhausted sigh. The twenty-eight year old wizard wanted to go out on a job, but the rain was just making him sluggish. He would prefer it a lot more if it was snowing; snow was just so much prettier than rain. Not that he would ever tell his precious Juvia-chan that because he loved her just the way she was. He wanted to go to Fairy Tail to visit her sometime this week, but the onslaught of rain and the fact that Juvia was on a mission put a halt to that plan. Sherry, Chelia, Yuka and Toby weren't even around to keep him company.

The silver haired ice mage was about to pack it in and go home when the Lamia Scale guild doors slammed open. Two silhouettes stood in the doorway, the cold and rainy wind blowing their clothing in different directions. A bunch of his fellow guild members stared at the silhouettes in fear, but Lyon felt like he knew who these mages were; and it didn't take long to learn he was right. A flash of lighting shot across the sky reflecting off a plate of familiar armour that he had only ever seen on one other person.

"Titania Erza and Gajeel the Iron Dragon Slayer from Fairy Tail," Lyon drawled, "How could we be of your service?"

The Queen of the Fairies didn't answer him but instead entered the guild and walked over to his table. He raised an eyebrow in confusion as she sat down on the bench in front of him as the iron dragon slayer stood behind her with his arm crossed. If he remembered correctly, he used to be in the Phantom Lord Guild with Juvia. To be honest, Gajeel unlike Juvia actually looked like he belonged in a dark guild. He thought about the iron dragon slayer's performance in the Games and he remembered that this guy could be just as powerful as Natsu. Speaking of the annoying flame headed bastard…

"Where's that idiot flame bastard and my dumbass fellow pupil?" He inquired, "Usually they would be with you wouldn't they? Oh and that blonde celestial mage too…where is everyone?"

The requip mage's hand clenched tightly on the table and her red hair covered her eyes darkly. Lyon watched her closely and he noticed that she was practically trembling; as he looked at the iron dragon slayer he noticed that he was tense too. A chill travelled down his spine as he realized that something must have happened to Gray and Natsu or possibly the rest of her team. He opened his mouth to speak when Erza finally looked him in the eye.

"Lyon, we know that you're probably busy with your own guild, but you need to come with us to Fairy Tail."

The ice mage narrowed his eyes and folded his arms on the table,

"What's going on Erza?"

The red headed mage slammed her fist on the table and Lyon was surprised to see tears gathering in the proud Titania's eyes. Never in his life would he have thought that he'd get a chance to see the great Erza Scarlet's tears. He would always remember her as the brave warrior who demanded that someone cut off her arm when she was poisoned by Cobra during their battle with the Oracion Seis. To see her crying was just so unnatural that it was almost as terrifying as her usual demeanor.

"Almost a month ago Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy and myself went on a mission near the Northern Continent."

Lyon froze at the mention of his past home; sometimes he could still feel the cold on his skin and his heart would throb when he thought about what he had lost. Not only had he lost Ur and Gray that day, but he had also lost himself. He was so taken by revenge and surpassing Ur that he pushed away the only family he had left; he let Gray believe that he had killed Ur until they met again at Galuna Island all those years ago.

"What was the mission about?"

Erza sighed and tapped her fingers on the wooden table rhythmically,

"There was a report of a demon attacking a nearby town; we weren't going to do the job, but Gray insisted that we had to and Natsu agreed. We went to the village and we all knew that Gray was affected by what was happening, but…"

"He didn't let anyone know." Lyon finished, "That's Gray for you."

Erza nodded sadly and continued on,

"Anyways, Natsu made me promise that if anything happened that I was in charge of Gray and I had to make sure he didn't let his guilt swallow him whole. I didn't take his words to heart until we finally confronted the demon. That had to be one of the first times that I had ever seen Gray freeze in the middle of battle. H-He just stared up at it and he couldn't move…"

Lyon leaned his forehead against the palm of his hand and he could feel the back of his eyes burning,

"Is he…is Gray…"

"No." Erza denied quickly, "He…Natsu jumped in front of him before the demon attacked."

Even though the red headed mage said that Gray wasn't hurt, the elation that should have filled him didn't happen. Natsu jumped in front of Gray and took the hit; Lyon couldn't imagine what would happen to his brother after something like that. Unlike most of Fairy Tail, Lyon knew how Gray's parents lost their lives, he knew how Ur sacrificed herself for him, and they all saw how Ultear used the 'Time's Arc: Last Ages' and saved Gray's life; now, the only person Gray had ever let into his heart sacrificed himself as well. Lyon ran a hand through his hair in frustration,

"Are they okay?"

Erza glanced away at that point and Gajeel spoke up,

"Natsu survived the attack, barely, but his injuries were too extensive for his dragon healing to be effective. He's in acoma right now and has been for the past three weeks."

"And Gray?"

The requip mage reached across the table and placed her hand on Lyon's shoulder,

"He's killing himself Lyon. Until earlier today, Gray had locked himself in his house and refused to leave the entire time Natsu was in the hospital. He hasn't eaten, he hasn't slept, he's smoking again and his house was a complete disaster."

"How did you get him to leave?"

Erza bit her lip and flinched at the question,

"We used Mira's takeover magic and some runes that Levy found to make Mira take the form of Natsu…"

Lyon shot to his feet and almost knocked the table over as he did so. His rage was almost palpable and it even caused Erza to want to back away from him. The entire guild became frosty as his emotions started to escalate out of control. Gajeel moved to step towards him, but Lyon moved out of the way and glared at the Fairy Tail mages darkly.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" He roared.

Erza growled deep in her throat and jumped to her feet,

"There was nothing else we could do! If he stayed in that prison he made for himself any longer he would've died!"

Lyon walked up to her so that they were virtually nose to nose,

"And what do you think is going to happen when he realizes that Natsu isn't awake yet?! It's going to tear him apart!"

"You think we don't know that?! It was a risk that we had to take to ensure that he lived damnit!" Erza shouted furiously, "We came here because we need your help Lyon! We know that we should've come to you when it first started, but we thought we could handle it!"

Lyon clenched his jaw and turned his back on the requip mage,

"What do you think I can do about it?!"

It wasn't Erza who spoke this time, but Gajeel. Lyon wasn't expecting him to speak and nearly jumped when the rough voice entered his ears,

"I'm going to tell you now dumbass that I could care less about what you think, but I know that Gray needs his older brother. This is something that Fairy Tail can't do for him; even though we're family he hasn't told us anything, hell, I doubt he has told even that pink haired loud mouth absolutely everything.

"You are probably the only one who knows why Gray acts the way he does and you're the only one who can hold whatever is left of him together. I didn't have the chance to protect my brother from the darkness and look what happened to him."

Lyon regarded the iron dragon slayer out of the corner of his eyes. He had forgotten that the shadow dragon slayer, Rogue Cheney of Sabertooth was his younger brother. Gajeel knew what his position was as Gray's surrogate older brother and how much he wanted to protect him. The raven haired teen also knew what it was like to fail at protecting his sibling. The silverette sighed sadly and the temperature in the guild began to rise marginally as he reclaimed his stoic demeanor. He didn't want to lose Gray, he didn't know what he would do if he did.

"When do we leave?" He demanded, "I have a brother to beat up."

FTFTFTFT

_Gray ran as fast as his feet could carry him; the snow kicking from his heels as he continued to gather speed. He could hear footsteps running behind him, but he pushed himself harder so that he wouldn't be caught. He was the village champion of "chase and gather" and there was no way he was giving up his title now. The raven saw his goal in the distance; a hollow tree with a golden compass lodged in the hole. If he could get to the compass before the person chasing him he would win again. He was about to reach the trunk when a loud roar ripped through the area effectively stopping the children in their tracks._

_Gray glanced towards the mountain and watched with wide fearful eyes as the top of it was blown clear off. Everyone stared blankly at it until they saw what was able to cause such a thing. A fifteen foot tall monster stood next to the demolished mountain; its dark navy skin standing out brightly against the white snow. Its dark obsidian eyes seemed to glance down at them before a green light started to gather in its mouth. Gray didn't know what it was, but it made something heavy drop into his stomach._

"_Everybody run!" He ordered loudly._

_Chaos immediately ensued. Gray grabbed the smallest child and pulled him onto his back before he started running full speed towards the town. The brown haired boy's arms were wrapped around his neck so tightly that he thought he was going to choke. He didn't get a chance to do anything about it when an explosion erupted from somewhere nearby and sent them flying into a nearby snow bank. Gray pushed himself from the snow, raw pain shooting down his spine. He searched for the boy he was carrying and found him in the snowbank, his eyes staring blankly at the darkened sky and the whiteness of the snow turning red._

"_No…" He whispered, "Ryan…"_

_A hand suddenly grabbed his and started to pull him towards the village. Through his tear stained eyes he saw one of the older boys of the village pulling him by the hand; nothing but a stoic expression planted on his face. He pushed Gray to the ground as another green beam shot over their head and struck a nearby building. The boy lifted the eight year old to his feet and once again started to run towards the slowly burning village. The monster's roar echoed behind him as they ran through the main gates to the town._

"_Go find your mom and dad and get away from here as fast as you can." _

_Gray nodded his head frantically and started to sprint towards his house. His chest heaving as he ran faster than he had ever run before. He could see his family's shop in the distance as another beam of light narrowly missed him and struck one of the buildings he was running by. He screamed as he was tossed forward by the blast and right into something big and solid. With his body shaking with near convulsions he raised his head and found himself looking into familiar blue eyes._

"_D-Dad…"_

_The older man smiled softly, though strained, and ran his fingers through Gray's raven hair before pulling the much shorter boy into a tight hug. The small raven clutched onto the back of his father's shirt and buried his face into the corner of his neck. He held the young raven's head in place as he turned on his heel and started to run. The screams of the villagers seemed to get louder and louder with every step that his father took. An explosion reached his ears as his father stalled and slowly lowered Gray to the ground. As he was about to turn away when the young raven clutched onto his coat sleeves._

"_Go to your mom Gray," He urged hurriedly, "I'll come back for you two, I promise."_

_The young raven reluctantly nodded and ran home as fast as his legs could carry him. From the distance he could hear his father's shouts as he tried to help the panicking villagers. Gray ran into his house and found his mother gathering as much things as she possibly could. She shouted in relief as she ran towards Gray and scooped him up in her arms. He clung onto his mother's neck tightly as the woman ran back the way he had just come._

_XxXxX_

_Gray watched in terror as his village began to burn before his very eyes. He could hear the screams and cries of his neighbours and friends as the monster's power consumed them all one by one. Everyone's voices sounded the same to him now, but one would always remain louder than the rest. They weren't even able to make it out of the house before a green beam struck it; immediately obliterating it from existence. Gray held back his sobs of pain as his hazy blue eyes lingered on the jigsaw-like remains of his mother…and his father was nowhere to be found._

_All of this was happening because of him; if only he had gotten to the town faster than they could've been prepared. Isvan would have been able to gather all of their mages and they would've been able to stand against it…but he was too late. He always prided himself on being the fastest in the village; he did always win "catch and grab" after all… yet, he lost the most important game of all._

_His village was gone and it was his fault._

_XxXxX_

_The eight year old raven watched as the woman he had come to know as his mother stood before him; tears coursing down his cheeks like a flowing river. He could barely see her now; he had to squint in order to see her through the bright light of her magic. He begged her stop what she was doing, he begged her to turn around so that they could leave together as a family, but the woman refused to move. Gray stared at her replacement leg that was made of ice and felt the temperature drop as the snow and ice started to collect around Ur in a whirlwind. From the corner of his eye he could see Lyon, still trapped in the ice that she had sealed him in to protect him. A sob tore from his throat as he tried to reach out to his foster mother,_

"_I'M BEGGING YOU! PLEASE! Don't do this! I promise I'll do whatever you tell me to from now on!"_

_Ur turned to face him, a soft smile on her face as she looked into his deep blue eyes,_

"_There's no reason to be sad, I'll live on, please don't cry…I may not be with you, but I will protect you from Deliora. Be strong, make me proud…"_

_The last of Gray's strength left him as another part of his heart shattered,_

"_UR!"_

_Once again…it was his fault._

_XxXxX_

_Gray couldn't explain why he saw himself die and neither could the others; that is, until they found her. She was barely recognizable; he purple tinted raven hair had washed out to white and her once smooth alabaster skin had become aged and looked as if one touch would make her crumble into dust. He didn't need anyone to tell him that the reason why he was alive at that moment was because of her. He knew deep in his heart that she lost her life because she wanted her mother's student to live on. He felt the tears gather in his eyes as he continued to stare at her aged form. He probably would have stood there for hours if it weren't for the warm arm that wrapped itself securely around his waist._

_He stared up at his dragon slayer and he could see the same sadness in the olive coloured eyes. Natsu slowly raised his hand into the air, the sign of Fairy Tail pointed directly at the sky. One by one, the Fairy Tail mages followed him and thanked Ultear for saving all of their lives. Gray was the last to put his hand into the air; one tear managing to escape through his façade. Now Ultear could be with Ur and she would no longer be in pain…_

_But he knew that she had lost her life because of him._

_XxXxX_

_It was happening all over again._

_He didn't know how, but it was happening just like before. The houses within the village were smoldering with flames and this time it wasn't because of Natsu being a hot head. A fifteen foot dark skinned demon stood above them and gave an enraged roar when it was attacked by Natsu's flames. Gray's mind immediately went back to when Isvan was destroyed causing his eyes to drift over to his lover. Natsu was facing the demon, his breath escaping in ragged breaths as he tried to remain on his feet. His chest tightened as a vision of his mother seemed to replace the dragon slayer._

"_M-Mom…"He whispered; eyes wide._

_The ice mage was forced to dive to the side when the demon shot off a blast of magic at where he was standing. He could hear Lucy, Erza and Happy yelling at him but nothing was reaching his ears. He just kept staring wide eyed at the demon as it turned its attention on him. Gray tried gathering his magic but it was like he couldn't connect to his core; something was off. The ice mage grunted as a renegade massive fist dug into his rib cage and sent him flying into a nearby tree. He felt his back tear open as he slid down the bark and his ribs immediately cracked on contact. _

"_GRAY!"_

_All the breath he had escaped his lungs at that moment stopping him from breathing. He curled in on himself as he tried to search for his breath, but it was in vain. He heard the demon's footsteps as it turned towards him and started to move. Gray hadn't felt so helpless in his life; he gathered any of the defiance he had left and glared at the demon as he approached him. He tried to call his magic once more, but found that he was unable to. Gray chuckled to himself as he realized what was going to happen._

_He was finally at the end of his rope._

_He closed his eyes and waited for the attack to hit him as the demon fired. The purple light was shooting towards him like an arrow and he was making no attempts to move out of the way. He felt the shockwave as the beam struck, but for some reason he didn't feel any pain. Slowly, his deep blue eyes opened and tears gathered in the corner of his eyes. Natsu was standing before him, his body bathed in blood and the smell of burning flesh carried into his nose. He was a fire dragon slayer… he shouldn't be smelling like that…_

_A deep rumble could be heard from the demon; it almost sounded like laughter. At that moment, Natsu fell to the ground as if in slow motion. When his body hit the ground, a low thud reached his ears and the crisp, fallen snow was once again turning red before Gray's eyes. _

"_N-Natsu?"_

_The pinkette didn't answer, all he did was stare blankly at the overhead sky; it was like he was watching the clouds, but Gray knew better. He could hear Erza going beserk in the background and he could hear Lucy and Happy's tears, but he knew that he was the one who caused it. He was the one who killed the only person who would ever care about him. He killed the very heart and soul of their family; nothing was ever going to change his fate…_

_No matter who he met…as long as they care about him…they would die._

"_NATSU!"_

_XxXxX_

Gray shot forward, gasping for air as cold sweat gathered on his pale skin. He flinched from the bright lights that shone in his eyes and tried to push his dreams to the back of his mind as he tried to figure out where he was. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in Natsu's arms at his house. The ice mage looked down at his arms and noticed a needle in his hand that led up to a clear baggy beside his bed. Just by looking at it, he knew that he had to be in a hospital; did Natsu take him there? His deep blue eyes drifted around the room and he immediately froze when he saw who was on the bed beside him.

He stared at the bandaged pink haired teen lying motionlessly in the bed. He had just noticed that monotonous beeping echoing around the room. Gray slowly pushed himself out of his bed and his legs nearly gave out as he tried to stand. The world swam before his eyes, but he was able to focus on the one thing that made his heart hurt. Gray stumbled over and reached out to touch the dragon slayer, but flinched away at the last second.

How long had he been asleep?

Did Natsu and the others go on a mission while he was recovering?

All those questions repeated over and over in his head when he noticed the blue bundle sleeping on Natsu's bandaged stomach. Gray hesitantly reached out and touched the slumbering cat in order to wake him up and figure out what was going on. The raven had barely touched him when the feline opened his tired brown eyes and looked at the ice mage curiously. Gray watched him as realization slowly dawned on the cat's face.

"Gray!" The cat launched himself at the ice mage, "I was so worried!"

Gray caught the shivering cat in his arms and patted his head gently. The ice mage kept his eyes on Natsu as he addressed Happy solemnly,

"Happy, what happened to Natsu?"

The blue cat stopped shaking and stared up at the ice mage with concerned eyes. Gray stared back in confusion when the cat's bottom lip began to quiver uncontrollably. The raven braced himself for the tears that were about to come, but somehow the cat had managed to hold them in. Happy reached out and placed his paw on Gray's shoulder,

"Don't you remember Gray? It happened on that mission…"

Gray's eyes snapped back to Natsu before looking at Happy in complete disbelief,

"What are you talking about? He was just over at my house…"

The cat shook his head in denial,

"No, I've been here the whole time… Natsu hasn't woken up once. I'm sorry Gray."

Gray felt his legs finally give out from underneath him as he slid to the floor. He could hear Happy's anxious cries, but they weren't registering in his mind. He was faintly aware of the cat flying out of his arms and out the door, but nothing else mattered. His heart was pounding in his chest so hard that it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. The longer he stared at Natsu, the harder it was to breathe.

Was it all a dream then?

Natsu was still in acoma…h-he never woke up?

The raven pressed his hand to his chest as he tried to breathe; the pain was just too much for him to handle. He reached out towards the slumbering dragon slayer, but he didn't have the strength to get to his feet. A cold wind started to whip around him as he struggled to reach Natsu and he faintly noticed the sound of running footsteps coming his way. It was the beginning of the end wasn't it… it has been for a long time now. He just wanted to go home and be with everyone once more. He just couldn't do it anymore; he just wanted to run away. All these years were spent in vain and everything he gained was worthless if he were to lose it all in the end anyway.

"Gray, there's still hope!" A familiar voice shouted, "The war isn't over yet, he's still fighting!"

Suddenly warmth engulfed his finger tips and he looked up to see his fingers tangled in Natsu's. The warmth was so strong that it was enough to ignite his entire body. Before he knew it, he was falling; falling into his sunlight.

TBC

**OMG its even longer than before minna! I hope you enjoy this amazingly angsty chapter and I'm waiting on your reviews! :)**

**-sktrgrl**

**PS. This chapter is loosely based on "Shattered" by Trading Yesterday :) **


	4. Chapter 4 - To Collect Fragmented Pieces

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns all the characters and storyline of Fairy Tail; this angst-filled plot, however, is mine! :)**

**Warnings: Language, Angst, Potential OOC-ness**

A monotonous beeping echoed around the silent room; a needle could drop and it would be louder than any sound could possibly be. Lyon struggled to breathe as his hand tightened around the connecting hands of Gray and Natsu; his onyx eyes impossibly wide as his surrogate brother's head rested exhaustedly against his shoulder. He robotically lifted his free hand and balanced himself on his knees as he tangled his fingers in Gray's raven hair; seeking some sort of comfort in shielding his younger brother from anything that may harm him.

His gaze travelled over to the comatose dragon slayer and frowned as he remembered the pain and despair that flitted across Gray's face upon seeing his sleeping form. If the pinkette hadn't already been unconscious, he would've slapped the bastard silly for even _thinking_ about putting such an expression on his fellow ice mage's face. However, now he wanted nothing more than for Natsu to open up his eyes with his fire exploding in every direction and his obnoxious personality lighting up the entire room. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, Gray needed Natsu to live or else he would never be the same.

"L-Lyon?" A small voice whispered shakily, "Is he going to be okay?"

The silverette slowly turned his head to see a small blue cat looking up at him with wide brown eyes. If he remembered correctly, this was the cat that followed Natsu around constantly; he was sure that his name was Happy. Although, at the moment, this blue cat looked absolutely nothing like his namesake; if anything, he looked just as broken and defeated as Gray had only moments ago. He took in the dark bags that lingered around the cat's eyes and the unkempt look of his fur…he has seen the relationship between Happy and Natsu and it surely was something to behold.

However, in this moment, when he literally held the secure bond that pulled Gray from insanity and looked into those innocent brown eyes, he couldn't find the courage within himself to reassure him. He turned his head so that he could see the other mages gathered by the door and came to the conclusion that he couldn't find the words to comfort them either. How could he when he was just as terrified and worried as the rest of them; he didn't even want to think about moving Gray away from Natsu's side even if it meant it was better for his recovery.

Funny…

A little more than seventeen years ago, he wouldn't have cared if Gray had died; even if the annoyingly cynical little bastard were to die right before his eyes. Back then Gray was the one who destroyed his dream and the one killed the only person to ever care for them. For the longest time, he thought that he would never be able to forgive the younger ice mage for what he had done to Ur; hell, there was no way that he deserved it. Then suddenly, when he thought that he would never see him again, there stood Gray Fullbuster on Galuna Island; and like before, he was going to stand in the way of his dream…

As Gray took _that_ stance in front of him, his pale wrists crossed over each other and his legs spread a shoulder width apart, he felt that the raven ice mage was crazy and too cowardly to act upon his will. He would never admit to anyone how scared he was when he saw the eerily familiar blue light engulf Gray's body and hairline cracks form across his pale complexion; he actually believed that the ice mage was going to go through with it… then Natsu happened. The moment that the pinkette stopped Gray from performing that spell not once, but twice, he knew that the dragon slayer would be the one to seal Gray's darkness; even if the silverette couldn't fully appreciate the action at the time.

Lyon's hand tightened in Gray's hair as every fibre in his being was urging him to pick Gray up and take him away from Fairy Tail so that he couldn't be hurt anymore. But, he knew that it would be counterproductive; Gray would never heal until he was positive that Natsu would not die from his injuries. He turned his head once more to take a look at the group of mages standing by the doorway; his onyx eyes immediately connected with a blood red gaze.

"Gajeel," His addressed the iron dragon slayer, "Do you think you could move Gray's bed so that it's next to Natsu's?"

The raven haired mage continued to stand next to the wooden frame of the doorway, just staring at him silently, before slowly nodding his head and pushed his way through the sobbing Lucy and stoic Erza. A large silver haired teen with bulging muscles also entered the room and followed Gajeel to the bed. Lyon didn't know who it was, but he was thankful for his assistance. Without a word the two males grabbed an end of the bed and lifted it as not to wake the exhausted ice mage.

Even though he didn't want to let go of the connecting hands and risk the chance of them separating; he lifted his hand and adjusted his arms so that he was able to lift Gray off the floor. However, the higher the raven was lifted, the more their hands would slacken. He was about to try a different tactic when Happy suddenly flew up and wrapped his paws around their hands just in time; their fingers were still entwined. Lyon and Happy slowly manoeuvered out of the way and let the other males push the bed right up against Natsu's; luckily all his wires and monitors were attached to him from the other side.

When the bed finally stilled, Lyon slowly lowered Gray onto it and pulled the thin sheets over his still form. His fingers lingered in the ice mage's hair for a moment longer before he took a step away from the bed and watched the sleeping lovers. He barely suppressed a jump as a hand clamped down on his shoulder; he turned to find Gajeel staring at him with sombre eyes.

"Thank you." He muttered.

The raven simply grunted and made his way back to the doorway. Without looking over his shoulder, the dragon slayer vacated the area and wandered off to Lyon could only guess where. He still didn't know what to think of Gajeel Redfox, but he was sure of one thing and one thing only; under the tough façade that the dragon slayer carried, there was nothing more than a scared child who wanted the power to protect himself from ever feeling the pain of loss again…he knew exactly how Gajeel felt.

"Happy," Lyon glanced over at the blue cat; who was now lying between the ice and fire mage, "What happened?"

Happy sniffled as his brown eyes shone with overflowing tears,

"G-Gray woke up and I was really happy…b-but then he started asking me what happened to Natsu and saying weird stuff like N-Natsu was at his house! I was so worried th-that he f-forgotten! A-And wh-when I told him th-that Natsu never woke up h-he started freaking out…"

Lyon huffed through his nose as he regarded the sobbing blue cat; his heart panged for the animal, especially since his only family seemed to be deserting him. He pressed his fingers to his temples before looking at Erza and Lucy who were still standing by the doorway. The great Titania's fists were clenched at her sides and a guilty scowl was spread tightly across her face.

"You mean never _told _him your plan?!"

Lucy flinched slightly,

"Well…you see…it just never came up?"

The silverette felt the urge to punch something slowly growing in the pit of his stomach. How he trusted Gray to this band of idiots astounded even himself sometimes. If Gray wouldn't throw as much of a fuss as he thought he would, Lyon would've taken him to Lamia Scale a long time ago. Of course, the main reason why was because he wanted to make up for all the mistakes he made in the past; he wanted to show Gray that he could be his brother again.

"If that's the case," Lyon muttered through clenched teeth, "Then where were you?"

The blonde's eyes widened fearfully and she began to wave her hands back and forth repetitively,

"I just stepped out for a moment; I had to deal with something…important…"

Lyon's eyes narrowed dangerously,

"And what could be more important than waiting for Gray and/or flame idiot to wake up?"

Lucy opened her mouth to respond when a loud wailing cut her off. Lyon raised an eyebrow in confusion as the blonde suddenly seemed to sag under the weight of a heavy cloud. The weirdest part was the horrid sound seemed to be getting louder; not only that but the sound of rushing water seemed to be following it. The silverette glanced up at the ceiling; with how successful Fairy Tail was, he thought that they would at least have better pipes…

"GRAY-SAMA!"

Okay…that was _not _the pipes…in fact it sounded like…

"GRAY-SAMA!" Juvia wailed as she burst into the room; her tears nearly washing away both Erza and Lucy in a tidal wave, "JUVIA IS SORRY THAT SHE WASN'T THERE TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE GREAT DEMON LUCY!"

"Hey!" Lucy yelled indignantly, "I am NOT a demon!"

However, Lyon barely heard the blonde; his eyes solely on the blunette who had entered the room in all her beauty. A warm feeling flooded his chest as he watched the water mage run to his younger brother's side and latch herself onto his free arm. Even as the tears poured down her face; Lyon swore that he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

"Juvia," Erza growled warningly, "Release him."

The blunette's bottom lip quivered dramatically,

"B-But Juvia needs to help Gray-sama! Gray-sama was the one who showed Juvia the sun; Juvia has to save Gray-sama!"

Lyon couldn't help but wince from the slight pain in his chest that her words brought. Even though his precious Juvia knew that Gray's heart would forever belong to Natsu, she would continue to love him unconditionally. For one of the first times of his life, he decided that he needed to push back his pride. He took a deep breath before walking over to Juvia and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. The blunette looked up at him slowly; her eyes getting wider and wider as she realized who was standing behind her.

"Lyon-sama…" She whispered.

"He'll be alright Juvia-chan," He cooed, "We'll watch over him to make sure he heals."

She blinked at him before a soft smile appeared across her pale face,

"Lyon-sama really cares about Gray-sama doesn't he?"

Her grip on the raven ice mage's arm slackened though her hand didn't lift. With her free hand, she reached out and placed it in Lyon's; squeezing his pale fingers comfortingly. Her deep blue eyes shone brilliantly as she glanced from one ice mage to the other.

"After all," She continued, "Gray-sama helped Lyon-sama see the sun too."

FTFTFTFT

Gajeel sat in the back of the guild hall; the shadows covering every inch of his body and every emotion that could potentially be seen. Although Makarov and, through extension, the Fairy Tail guild gave him a second chance and although he had grown to accept them as both family and comrades, he could not show them his weakness. He was considered, at least in his book, to be one of the most domineering members of Fairy Tail; he needed to be strong for the weaker members of the family… he had to make them think that everything would be alright, even if he didn't believe it.

His fist quivered as he struggled against the need to pound it through the table. Natsu and Gray were his younger brothers and he was supposed to keep them safe; even though he never actually went out and said it…or demonstrated it. After all, he was _supposed_ to have an unquenchable rivalry for Natsu, and he did, but there was also more to his relationship with dragon slayer. Much like how Gray was the light for Juvia to break out of Jose Porla's clutches, Natsu was the one who defeated him and started his need to be freed from the shadows.

But of course, he would never admit this to the airheaded dragon slayer; his ego was big enough as it was. Although, he suspected that Natsu knew this deep dark secret; the pinkette though somewhat strategically lacking, knew how to think and battle with his heart and that was more than what he needed to learn of the iron dragon slayer's true feelings and intentions. Gajeel stretched his arm across the wooden table and latched onto the handle of a near empty pitcher. He was about to bring it to his lips, when he felt eyes staring at him from somewhere nearby.

"Gajeel," An authoritative voice said from somewhere near his knee, "You seem to be troubled…would you like to share?"

The iron dragon slayer shifted his weight and stared down at his black Exceed Pantherlily. The cat was staring up at him with worry clear in his eyes; though, it wasn't comparable to sympathy or pity. He knew better to think that his cat would pity him; Lily has felt the same pain and sense of failure that he had…he understood.

"There's more to this than it seems," Lily spoke once more as he hopped onto the stool next to Gajeel, "Nothing would have been able to knock down Natsu Dragneel for this long; something else has to be at work."

"I know," He grounded out, "A demon like that wouldn't have come out of nowhere."

Lily placed a small paw on Gajeel unflinchingly; if it was anyone else, they wouldn't have dared to come that close to the iron dragon slayer. The raven sighed heavily before grabbing his pitcher once more and downing the majority of it in one gulp. He slammed it back down onto the wooden table before pressing his fingers to his forehead.

"It had to be a demon from the Book of Zeref," Gajeel muttered darkly, "And it couldn't have been a coincidence that it was in the Northern Continent…"

"I think you're right…"

Gajeel forced back the need to jump, after all he didn't jump, and glared at the silver haired takeover mage who had popped up from behind him. She was looking at him, her big blue eyes brightened by both fear and comprehension. Mira put her tray full of empty glasses on the table and sat in front of the iron dragon slayer.

"I've known Gray for a very long time," She told him sternly, "In fact I arrived to Fairy Tail a little after he did and there was no inkling that he was from the Northern Continent. Sure, his voice was slightly accented in ways I didn't know and his colouring was slightly different from the other Magnolians, but I didn't think anything of it. I probably wouldn't have known he was from the Northern Continent until he told me…"

Gajeel folded his arms across his chest and huffed impatiently,

"What are you getting at Mira?"

"I'm saying that not many people would be able to connect Gray to the village of Isvan." She stated, "Yes, more people have learned that he was from the Northern Continent after the Games, but that doesn't mean that they would know that he was from the village that Deliora destroyed."

The iron dragon slayer's red eyes narrowed speculatively,

"Deliora?"

The takeover mage frowned and her eyes saddened,

"It was a demon from the Book of Zeref… it decimated various towns in the North, including Gray's village and the city of Brago; if you want questions answered, I suggest you ask Gray or Lyon."

Gajeel slid his hand down his face in exasperation; though it resembled annoyance more than anything,

"What are the chances of the ice block talking Mira? We both know that the only ones who were able to get anything out of him were fire head and the rest of their team; or best bet isn't awake right now."

Mira clasped her hands together so tightly that her pale knuckles paled even more. Her pale lips drew into a thin line and her eyes slowly started to fill with tears. Gajeel could feel something inside him panicking; his instincts immediately remembering (all too well, mind you) what would happen when Juvia would start to cry.

"Gray carries many scars with him Gajeel; many of which he has gained recently in order to save others from suffering his own pain…others, which are the hardest for him to live with, continue to cling to him and pull him down."

Gajeel watched the mage in front of him and his brow furrowed in confusion. Lily, who he temporarily forgot was there, suddenly spoke up. His onyx eyes were serious and burning with a bright curiosity which would've rightfully invoked the wrath of the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'.

"That woman who lost her life at the Grand Magic Games," The cat stated, "The one from that vigilante guild; Gray knew her didn't she…"

"What makes you ask that?" Mira inquired hesitantly.

Pantherlily folded his arms across his chest and stared at the silverette evenly,

"I just noticed this _dark _look on his face when we found her; if it weren't for Natsu Dragneel comforting him when he did; I suspect something of great magnitude would happen. And since then, I have noticed something changing about Gray Fullbuster…and it wasn't something good."

"What are you implying, cat?" Gajeel growled impatiently.

"I'm not implying anything," Lily shifted his gaze to the iron dragon slayer, "I'm only saying that Natsu's interference on this recent mission finally snapped whatever tether was tying Gray to this world…"

Mira covered her mouth with her hand,

"Gray…"

"And I think that's exactly what the person who summoned that demon wanted."

TBC

**Hey minna! Here's a new chapter for you guys; I'm so happy you people love the reposting of this story! :) A lot happened in this chapter and I hope you enjoy the little twist I put at the end (lol, this wasn't my original game plan in my previous story :P)! I'm sorry for all the OOC-ness…I never really wrote Pantherlily before and I had a little trouble with Lyon and Juvia's relationship lol. Anyways, I hope you can forgive me for it! I'm waiting for your reviews :)**

**-sktrgrl**

_**Answer to your reviews :)**_

_**There are eight, well seven since AsDarknessSpreads reviewed twice :), of you magnificent, lovely, spectacular people and I love each and every one of you! I also send all my love to those who followed and favourited this story; you guys affect me just as much as my reviewers do!**_

_**DreamscomeTRUEEE: I'm so happy that the repost affected you like it did the first time you read it! :) I didn't change much mind you, but I'm still happy! Here's the first chapter!**_

_**AsDarknessSpreads: I'm so sorry that you got sent back to your emo corner because of this repost [it was bound to happen since you already knew what was going on :(…] I hope this chapter satisfies you and I wish you luck on growing your own version of Tamaki's gloom shrooms! **_

_**AsDarknessSpreads: It's you again XD It looks like your gloom shrooms are starting to thrive at this point! :P**_

_**mooney-996: Yay! I'm so happy that you like this story :) I hope you like this chapter too!**_

_**sal (guest): I'm so excited that you love my "big bro" Gajeel take on the story! I was a little worried about that since it made him OOC, but if people love it I'll try my best to keep it going! :) I definitely agree that it adds to his character and I 100% think that's how Gajeel feels on the inside! I also wanted to try and involve the other Fairy Tail characters with Natsu and Gray to see how it would develop the story and characters!**_

_**Guest: Here's a brand new chapter for you! I hope that it adds more mystery to your life!**_

_**nori of the sea: hello! God, I can't believe you kept tabs on this story even before you had an account! lol I'll have you know I'm still excited for your new chapter of "All This Time" so you better update soon ;) Thanks for the compliment and yes, there is always hope! Here's the next chapter!**_

_**Ju (guest): I'm glad that you find this story refreshing in the NatRay fandom (though I'm extremely guilty of writing a bunch of protective!Natsu and distressed!Gray lmao); I think everyone just likes having fun with Natsu's innate dragon instincts ;) And I'm super happy that you love big bro Gajeel! XD I was worried I'd make him OOC, so I'm ecstatic that I was able to pull it off! Here's a new chapter for you! **_


	5. Chapter 5 - To Be Put Together

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns this amazing series! (but I own this plot!)**

**Warnings: Language, Potential OOC-ness**

Erza sat stiffly in the wooden chair and watched her two brothers as they remained oblivious to the world going on around them. Juvia had only just managed to drag Lyon away from the room and force him to get something in his stomach; the silverette hadn't eaten anything since he had left Lamia Scale and that was almost eight hours ago. In the time that she had known Lyon Bastia, she never would have guessed that he would care about Gray as much as he had demonstrated that day. She knew that the brothers' relationship was strained, but there were moments in their interactions that proved that they would always care about each other no matter what happened between them.

She reached towards the slumbering raven and ran her unarmoured fingers through his hair gently; she was happy that Gray still had Lyon in his life, even if he acted more as a stressor than not. She will always remember when the silver haired ice mage was battling Kagura Mikazuchi from Mermaid's Heel in the Grand Magic Games and Gray spending most of the battle vehemently denying that he could care less about Lyon's well-being only to become the voice of reason that gave Lyon the will and confidence to fight Kagura to his greatest ability. She knew that Gray needed Lyon just as much as he needed Natsu and that's why the older ice mage was the key to getting Gray well again.

She was wrenched out of her thoughts by the slight movement from beneath her hand. Her eyes widened incredulously as she jumped to her feet and leaned over Gray's head. A small smile graced her face as the ice mage's eyes scrunched together and slowly started to open. She continued to run her fingers soothingly through Gray's slightly matted hair as he tried to fight against the fluorescent light that hung over both of their heads.

"Gray," She whispered, "Can you hear me?"

The raven nodded his head faintly and struggled to push himself into an upright position; he was quickly thwarted by Erza placing a hand on his chest and forcing him back down. The red head watched apprehensively as her surrogate brother's head turned to the side and took in the visage of Natsu lying in the bed beside him. The bottom of his lip quivered slightly before the dreaded mask of indifference schooled its way back onto his pale face; she was afraid that this would happen.

"So it wasn't a dream then." He muttered.

"No," She closed her eyes in shame, "No, it wasn't."

Gray closed his eyes for a moment before trying to sit up once more. Erza moved to stop him only to notice that he was glaring at her darkly. She couldn't help but flinch away from the burning betrayal that lingered in his deep blue orbs; it was the exact same look he had when she tried to prevent him from stopping Lyon on Galuna Island. The raven was about to push himself out of the bed only to realize the warm hand that was wrapped around his. Erza stared as the ice mage slowly untwined his fingers from Natsu's limp ones.

"Gray…"

"You lied to me Erza." He stated bluntly, "You _fucking_ lied to me."

The red head clenched her fists at her sides and continued keep eye contact with the angry raven,

"I know I did and I'm not about to apologize for it."

If it was possible, Gray's eyes darkened even more. The raven struggled to push himself off the bed and his legs nearly gave out as his feet touched the tiled floor. Erza reached out to steady him only for him to move out of her range and grasp into the head of his bed in order to regain his balance. Erza felt a pang in her chest at the blatant disregard for her assistance; never had the ice mage been so distant from her before.

"I figured you wouldn't," He hissed, "After all, it got me out of the house didn't it."

She winced at the anger in his tone and folded her arms across her chest defensively. He was slowly coating his heart in a layer of ice; every second she spent standing in front of him, the more distant he was going to get. She had never seen him like this before; this side of him wasn't present when she first arrived at Fairy Tail. She chewed on her lower lip slightly; it made her wonder if this was the Gray that Lyon would've met after Deliora's attack.

"It was for your own good Gray," She reiterated, "Natsu wouldn't want you to torture yourself like this."

His eyes narrowed dangerously as the room started to fill with white frost,

"Well we don't get to see what he wants now do we."

"What will it take for you to understand that we don't blame you?!" She cried desperately, "It was his decision and even if we knew what he was going to do, even if we _tried_ to stop him from saving your life you know that he wouldn't have listened."

"Whatever," He mumbled, "You can believe what you want to Erza, but I'm getting the hell out of here."

He went to storm passed her only for her to react immediately and latch onto his wrist. If it was any normal day, he would've been able to yank himself out of her grasp no problem; but the fact of the matter was, he was too weak to do so. Gray turned towards her, his deep blue eyes iced over like a frozen river and stared down at her.

"Let me go."

"No." She denied stiffly, "When I had my armoured heart you refused to let up on me, it's only fit that I return the favour."

Gray looked away from her once more and closed his eyes as if he had been struck. She loosened her grip on him slightly and stepped forward. She felt him flinch back, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. She raised her free hand and tangled her fingers in the raven hair that resided at the back of his skull. She gently pulled his head forward so that their foreheads rested together; she frowned as she felt his shallow breath blanket over her face.

"Everything is going to be okay," She promised, "He won't leave you alone; he promised didn't he?"

The bottom of his lip quivered once more and she carded her fingers through his hair soothingly. She sighed as he slowly raised his arms and wrapped them around her; his frame shaking in her grasp. After a few moments of silence she pulled back and was met with teary eyes hidden by dark bangs. She stood on the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to his forehead soothingly; she released his wrist and used her now free hand to cup the side of his face.

"The thing I learned from Natsu," She whispered, "was that we don't die for our friends, but live for them; that's how I know he's going to be alright."

Gray's fists clenched at his sides,

"But, what if he isn't."

"Now that's a stupid question, even for you Gray."

Erza watched the raven haired ice mage's body tense and turn towards the doorway. She rolled her eyes when she saw Lyon leaning against the frame; his arms folded stoically across his chest. She knew what the silver haired man was trying to do, but she wasn't sure if it was a good idea at the present moment. However, as she took notice of the white frost that lingered around the room she let Lyon handle this one.

"Lyon," Gray stated in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

The older ice mage raised an eyebrow,

"Well someone had to save your pathetic ass; only you would try to kill yourself over the actions and decisions of someone else."

Gray growled under his breath,

"You don't have a say in the matter; you weren't there."

Lyon scoffed under his breath and strode into the room as if he owned the place. Though Erza didn't approve of the method he was using, she couldn't help but want to clap at his false bravado. After all, only moments ago he was ready to fall apart from worry himself; in fact this Lyon was reminiscent of the mage she met on Galuna Island and during the battle with the Oracion Seis. The silverette stopped moving when he was in front of Gray; he stared at the younger mage haughtily through his eyelashes.

"I don't have to be there to know you're a complete idiot," He spat, "Are you really that _weak_?"

"Shut up." Gray hissed threateningly.

"Or what?" Lyon smirked, "You'll sic your pet lizard on me? Oh wait, you can't do that; I mean look what happened to him."

Erza's eye widened in disbelief,

"Lyon…"

"Shut up!"

The red headed mage jumped as Gray's loud shout echoed around the room. The silver haired ice mage looked at her pointedly before shifting his gaze back to the fuming Gray. Everything in her being was telling her to intervene before things got even worse, but her heart was telling her to wait. Although what Lyon was saying sounded cruel, he was awakening something in Gray that hadn't been present for weeks; the will to fight.

"Just shut up!" Gray shouted, "You don't know anything; you don't understand! You will never understand what happened to me or what happened to others _because _of me!"

The silverette chuckled,

"Aren't you being a _little _dramatic Gray, the world doesn't revolve around you."

"You…"

"That's enough!" Lyon cut him off, "Bad things don't happen because of you, they happen to you! Sure, you were dealt a shitty hand in this life, but that just means you have to _fight_ in order to live the happiest life you can! It's not like you to give up Gray; what happened to the boy who wanted to do everything in his power to avenge his loved ones?!"

The room seemed to still for a moment before the tension was severed by sharp chunks of ice sprouting out of the ground like jagged teeth. Erza jumped out of the way quickly and landed in front of Natsu quickly requiping one of her shields and knelt down protectively. When all the crackling finally stopped, she released her magic and stared open mouthed at the icy devastation that the room had become. She glanced at Lyon and noticed that he too had summoned jagged like chunks of ice to counter Gray's.

"That boy died a long time ago," Gray hissed darkly, "He died the moment Ur sacrificed her life to save me or at least, according to you, the moment I _killed _her."

Like herself, Lyon seemed to be shocked into silence. His onyx eyes wide and his mouth hanging slightly open. Gray looked away from the older ice mage and hid his eyes behind his raven hair once more.

"I'm nothing, but a murderer; I take just as many lives as the Grim Reaper himself."

Silence swallowed the room once more as his words lingered through the air. Erza moved to take a step towards him but Lyon quickly grabbed her attention and shook his head no. She glared at him for a moment, but her eyes softened as he noticed the tears lingering in the older ice mage's eyes. Erza had only seen Lyon cry one other time before this moment and that was when Gray had lost his life at the hands of the dragonlings; before Ultear turned back time. If Gray was considered to be a prideful mage, Lyon was even more so; like Gray, he didn't share his emotions so easily.

"I admit," Lyon began, "For many years, I held you responsible for the death of Ur; I was angry and hurt. To me, Ur wouldn't have even had to face Deliora if it weren't for the fact that you just couldn't be happy with the both of us; I wanted to hurt you Gray and I knew that blaming you for her death would be the most effective.

"But after Galuna Island…Gray you saved me even though I tried my damnedest to kill you. When you were about to cast Iced Shell, all I could think about was you once again destroying my dream; I was selfish and I didn't care whether you died or not, I only cared that you were about to destroy everything that I worked toward. If you consider yourself to be a cold blooded murder after doing nothing, then what does that make me?"

Erza closed her eyes; she felt as though she wasn't meant to hear this, but she knew that she needed to be there. She opened her eyes and looked at Gray, whose hands were trembling at his sides. The hands that were usually so sure while performing ice magic spells were shaking in the face of his childhood rival…his brother. She was pulled out of her musings by Gray's almost silent laugh; her eyebrow rose in confusion.

"Well, we broke even when you tried to sacrifice your life for me during the battle with Racer."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lyon stated dubiously.

"You almost died Lyon, all because you felt the need to save me from being blown to little bits. You atoned for what happened on Galuna by doing that, while people continue to die in my presence."

Lyon smirked,

"Natsu didn't die; so there's a tiny flaw with your idiotic assessment."

Gray chewed his bottom lip,

"He's practically dead; as long as he's lying in that bed and not acting like his annoying self, he's dead."

Erza's eyes narrowed dangerously as she hastily called a sword to her hand and pointed it precariously at the ice mage's throat. Gray stared at her out of the corner of his eye; a defeated frown firmly placed upon his pale face. She could feel Lyon's eyes staring at her incredulously, but she pushed his presence to the back of her mind and placed her sole attention on Gray.

"You don't believe that one bit Gray," She hissed in irritation, "If you actually believed that, you wouldn't be standing here trying to defend the reasons for your actions. In fact, I know that if you truly believed that, we wouldn't have found you in your house alive and you know it."

"Erza…" Gray started.

"You're waiting for him; you won't leave this world until he's dead or you get the chance to get to say goodbye to him in person. I _know_ you Gray and you're not a coward, so stop blaming yourself and stop looking for a way out; look for a way to live instead."

Gray's frown seemed to deepen as he turned towards her and grabbed a hold of the blade, bring it to rest just an inch away from his mark. She felt tears well in her eyes as the familiarity of the situation seemed to hit her.

"I _froze_ Erza," He whispered; devastation lacing his tone, "All I could do was stand there as that demon attacked all four of you; what kind of nakama does that make me?"

She was about to answer when Lyon stepped forward and placed his hand on the younger ice mage's shoulder. Gray didn't move at the touch and kept his hand firmly on the blade that was pointed at his chest. She watched as Lyon leaned his forehead against the back of Gray's head and averted her gaze as she noticed the silvery tears raining from his eyes. However, when he spoke his voice was as strong as ever.

"If I was to lose my family and friends in front of my eyes as many times as you have, I would freeze in the eyes of a demon as well." He stated, "After all, I know what it's like to blame myself for the loss of someone I care about; I imagine I would be just like you if the dragonlings succeeded in taking you from us."

Gray's hand suddenly dropped from Erza's sword and she immediately released her magic; her tears finally sliding down her face. The raven turned towards the silverette and was about to say something only to have Lyon smother his words by wrapping his arms tightly around him. Erza smiled softly at the rare contact between the brothers and would have laughed at Gray's surprised and confused expression if it were a brighter time.

"Yes Gray," Lyon continued, "I know that death hurts and I know the burden that you force yourself to carry, but you have to remember this and remember it well. If you would've died that day Juvia, Lucy, Erza, Happy, the rest of your family, me and especially Natsu would feel like you do now all because we would've lost a very bright light in our lives…it's okay for you to live; you _deserve _to live."

Gray nodded his head and buried his face into the crook of Lyon's neck. Erza smiled at the two brothers as she wandered over to the top of Natsu's bed were his head lay on the white pillow. She slowly dragged her fingers through his outlandish pink hair and she watched Lyon rub a soothing hand down Gray's rigged back. She leaned down and pressed her lips against the plain of Natsu's tanned forehead.

"He just might be okay Natsu," She whispered affectionately, "We'll be able to free him from his darkness…together."

"Lyon…" Gray's voice brought her attention back to the ice mages.

"What is it Gray?" The older brother demanded.

"I didn't think you were such a sap." The raven teased.

"Oh shut up."

Yeah, she laughed silently, Gray was going to be alright.

FTFTFTFT

The man grimaced as he stared at the lacrima; his plan didn't work out at all. Not only had the demon been destroyed, but it attacked the wrong person. Of course, that wasn't entirely the demon's fault; it was that damn dragon slayer. And even if the dragon slayer was temporarily out of the way it was still possible that he could awaken; after all he wasn't called the great Salamander of Fairy Tail for nothing. Then there were Titania and the ex-cold emperor trying to _heal _that little piece of shit as well; that just wouldn't be beneficial to his plan.

He huffed under his breath and pushed himself off his throne. He paced around the room as anger and hatred continued to pulse through his veins. All he needed was for Gray Fullbuster to be brought to him so that his full potential could be realized; after all, there was a reason why the demon was attracted to the village of Isvan and that reason was Gray. It was that little shit's fault that his entire life was ruined and that his baby sister and niece were destined to die. Beings like Gray shouldn't exist…it just wasn't natural! He smirked; he had to admit that it was ironic…

He's never heard of a demon hating his own kind.

TBC

**Hey minna! Another update; aren't you guys proud of me :)… I guess you might want to kill me for that cliffy too O.o' I really hope you don't because I promise that things are about to get interesting! So yeah…please don't kill me… And I'd also like to apologize for Lyon's slight OOC-ness for a moment there; I really did try to keep him in character there! Waiting on your lovely reviews! :)**

**-sktrgrl**

**PS. I forgot to post this on my previous story so here it is… HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE AMAZING FATHERS OUT THERE! I know that I wouldn't be who I am today or where I am today without my father; he's the biggest inspiration in my life! (like Igneel was to Natsu XD) And if you were raised by single mothers (like Gray and Lyon were raised by Ur) this announcement is extended to them too!**

_**Answers to your reviews! :)**_

_**So there are technically ten of you lovely reviewers (but Yaoifornow reviewed three times; talk about commitment :P) you guys are seriously awesome and I wouldn't be writing at all if it weren't for your continued support! I huge thank you to those who favourited and followed as well, you guys are just as amazing!**_

_**AsDarknessSpreads: Your comments never fail to bring a gigantic smile to face; you're hilarious! I'm so happy that you're satisfied with both Gajeel and Lyon in this story; I wanted to explore more of their brotherly sides so I hope I'm doing okay! Why do you hate story-Mira?! What did I do wrong?! (ripping hair out as she curls into ball) GOMEN! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! **_

_**LindyLinn: I'm glad that you think I did good with Lily; I was honestly worried about him…kind of nuts! Here's a new chapter and I hope you enjoy it; I'm so sorry for the wait!**_

_**nori of the sea: I couldn't resist having a cute lovey dovey scene like tha :3 It was just calling my name! :) And muwahaha! You got a brief glimpse at our villain…and there's definitely more of him to come! Enjoy!**_

_**darkmander: Okay your comment made me laugh so hard that my little sister thought that I had lost my mind…(though that was probably because I got the notification at like 6am and it woke her up lol!) I'm happy that you like my stories; makes me super all warm and fuzzy! I'm trying to write different pairings, but I have anxiety about making them super OOC lol I'm just more comfortable with NatRay I guess lol.**_

_**vanessa cruz: Thank you so much! Here's the next chapter and I'm so sorry for the late update!**_

_**Yaoifornow: I really hope you didn't flood your house with all your tears; you probably did Juvia proud tho ;) Hopefully I don't make you cry anymore, but I won't make you any promises; at the rate this story is going it's gonna be freaking heartbreaking. **_

_**iceprinceryuu: Hiya! Welcome to the world of NatRay :P It makes me smile that you're able to read this story even though you're not a yaoi fan! :) Here's a new chapter! I hope it doesn't disappoint!**_

_**cristel: Yay! So happy that you like brotherly Lyon and Gajeel! XD I thought it would be a nice change of view for Gajeel (even though he might be OOC) and well brotherly Lyon is just my favourite :3 I kinda go all fangirl whenever they have bromance in the anime and manga lol! Here's the next chapter!**_

_**DreamscomeTRUEEE: Muwahaha! He officially made his debut! And you thought last chapter was a plot twist! XD And you made me all flustered when you said I wrote a perfect Lyon! I honestly thought I was making him OOC, but at least I know you like the way I write him! :)**_


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